


Muddy Feet

by sundayrice



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Cooking, Cooking Lessons, F/M, Fluff, Hunting, Hurt/Comfort, No Angst, One Shot, like literally hurt and comfort, mozu does first aid, no angst in this household, with ya girl mozu, xander tries his best and fails but we still love him, xander tries to cook and fails, xander tries to hunt and fails
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-17 19:36:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10600803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundayrice/pseuds/sundayrice
Summary: Family is someone you can share with. Family is someone who likes it when you share with them.





	

**Author's Note:**

> warning for some brief violence against animals (aka shooting them with some arrows, typical hunting stuff), so click away if that's not your jazz. also there are other depictions of wounds and injuries, but nothing i would consider graphic.
> 
> consider this a b-day fic for me (since today is my b-day). xander/mozu is really cute and it's my job to fill this drought of a tag with some Good Fluff. this is a bit inspired by their supports doesn't follow that completely. yeah xander/mozu is great please i love these two so much.
> 
> also, thanks mitsuboo for beta-ing/proofreading!!

Often times when the Crown Prince of Nohr would pass by Mozu in the dining hall, she'd refuse to make eye-contact. He was at least a good two heads taller than her, probably even more, and the way he always had an angry brow and frown made Mozu shiver. Every word he spoke held weight and it seemed he never had time for any sort of normal conversation; he was always bumbling on about something important or political or important and political. There was no way a simple farm girl like Mozu could talk to him on the same level.

That's why it was nightmarish that Corrin would even _think_ of having her procure and prepare food with him that evening.

 _But there was no one else for the job! I know it's all so sudden, but please,_ Mozu imitated Corrin's high-pitched and somewhat apologetic voice in her head. Corrin was naive and it was honestly a wonder how he didn't realize that his older brother was Mozu's living nightmare. Of course, she couldn't hold it against him, but it was a shame she had to be paired up with possibly the scariest person in the whole army.

She could always see him in the corner of her eye, mostly blabbing on alongside either his siblings or the Hoshidan royal family. To be honest, _any_ royalty at all was quite daunting for Mozu, except maybe Princess Elise or Princess Sakura, but Prince Xander had all the qualities to push him straight into the 'absolutely terrifying' category.

Corrin had recommended the two hunt in a small, lush forest, just two miles south of the camp borders. Since the camp had no carriages on hand – it was still expanding as of yet – the two would set out on horseback. _On Prince Xander's horse_. Just the two of them, with Mozu pressed tightly against Xander's broad back and her hands gripped to his chest. The first thing Mozu thought of what how close the two would be sitting together. The second thing Mozu thought of was Xander's armor poking her in the rib and stabbing clean through her.

Mozu had an iron bow on hand, with a few arrows left in the quiver. She plucked at the strings. It wasn't in her to be wasting arrows but she used one just for good measure and took a practice shot. Her eyes were still sharp as an eagle's. 

Xander was awaiting her at the edge of the camp. He twirled his legendary blade, Siegfried in one hand, running his thumb over the hilt and pommel. It's like he never let the blade ever leave his sights, or his hand for that matter, since there wasn't a day Mozu could remember that he went without it. He was in very casual dress, though it was still far more ornate than anything Mozu could dream of owning. And now Mozu was even more self-conscious when she looked back at her farmer's wear, aged nicely over the years and full of dirt and sweat.

Mozu took a deep breath in and trudged her way towards Xander. _A good first step_. As she got closer, her heart pounded aggressively and her light breathing picked up.

Now she was standing right behind him and Xander wasn't even paying attention to her – probably because she was so short – so Mozu poked a bit at his back to get his attention.

_That won't do either_.

"L-Lord Xander!" Mozu cried and stood up straight, back as stiff as a twig. His eyes scanned her; he was definitely judging her, wasn't he? Did he expect her to bow for him? But all of the other Nohrians didn't bow to show respect, so what did she have to do?

"Ah, good to see you Mozu," Xander jerked his head around. They stood face to face. Well, more like face to chest. "Now should be as good as any to set out."

Xander was speaking casually with her, but every word he uttered felt like a command to Mozu. And Mozu, conscious towards anyone who was her superior, would take his words like an order.

"G-Good to see you too, milord," Mozu said, almost whimpering. "I'm ready to set out."

"Good."

Stood next to him was a tall horse, covered in Nohrian battle armor that was too ornate for the occasion. Xander's steed was a tall stallion with a dark coat, black as the night. Xander's steed matched him in every respect and it too shared with his towering height. She swore it had his same bloodshot eyes and angry face.

The actual hunting, Mozu thought, would go quite well. If only she could actually get to the hunting spot first. Which required her to get on Xander's horse. Mozu watched in awe as Xander hitched himself up on the horse, hooking his feet into the stirrups. Now, his eyes were fixed on her, scanning every inch of her body. Mozu was exposed and her shaky knees and nervous teeth-chattering were as clear as the daylight that shone between them.

"I promise, she's not the kind to bite," Xander said.

"O-Oh no, it's not that, it's just," Mozu murmured. "I'm a bit too short to get on up myself."

Freeing his feet from the stirrups and with one swing of his body, Xander was back on the ground. Mozu felt two firm hands clenching to her sides and she was lifted off the ground with great force. _Great, now Lord Xander's thinking I'm some kid who doesn't know how to ride a horse_. She was weightless in his arms and, after a few of her own efforts – and _lots_ of squirming – she was up on the horse.

Again, Xander took a giant leap and hitched his body onto the horse, setting into a comfortable position, with Mozu pressed tightly on his back and holding on for dear life.  She didn't mean to, but she caught a whiff of some strong, sweet smell, presumably coming from Xander. Far off from what you'd expect a Nohrian prince to smell like; it was almost like chocolate and burning firewood. Smelt oddly cozy, like home.

Mozu's face was hot as fire with Xander's heat so close to her. Xander muttered a muted apology under his breath and Mozu's response was even more quiet, so much so that Xander must not have heard it at all. It was probably for the best that he didn't. She would have died of embarrassment if he did.

 

|||

 

As the two had gotten deeper into the forest, the sky above them was now clouded in a sea of trees. Some sunshine peeked it's way through the treetops, but, for the most part, the continuous shade was eery and ominous. This forest was unlike any of the flatlands in her Hoshidan hometown. The smell of thick sap hung in the air; Mozu coughed, hopefully not loud enough so that Xander could hear her, and she was choking a bit. Everything felt so dense, even her body felt heavy as she traced circles with her fingertips. Something about this forest had transported Mozu to another world.

Another world where Prince Xander, future ruler of Nohr and for so many years the sworn enemy to the kingdom of Hoshido, was going on a hunting trip with her.

The two came to a clumsy halt and Mozu's head whipped into Xander's back. The two let pained cries and then Mozu apologized profusely.

While Xander leaped off the horse, Mozu held out her hands like a small child, waiting for Xander to help her off.

"That fancy sword of yours won't do you any good, milord," Mozu whispered, cautious not to scare off the creature. Now that Mozu was free, she was in a place she felt comfortable in; she had always felt comfortable doing this, ever since she was little. Hunting, it was in her blood. "Best let me handle this."

"R-Right," Xander's voice was wavering as he stepped back little by little, his leather boots brushing along stray leaves and fallen branches.

Something was wriggling through the underbrush. It was a small figure with a black to brown color. Mozu readied her bow, drawing the string back far and keeping her elbow level. She closed one eye and the bow swayed ever so slightly in her grip. 

The sound kept shifting around and so did Mozu's eyes. She had to concentrate on the sound, take it all in. The prey was there, she knew it, but she wouldn't get it if she didn't have a clear shot. Xander probably thought she was nuts since her breathing was completely erratic at this point. Mozu closed her eyes, just for a second. She inhaled and exhaled. In just a second, she'd have her prey caught and then –

A scream.

And behind her, where Xander once stood, he was no longer there.

She looked below her to see Xander, freshly fallen from the edge of a hill. At first, he appeared unharmed, but a large and gaping gash was in his right knee, with thick blood pouring out at an alarming rate. A chunk of fabric had been taken out of his pants. Not only that, his hands were stained all over with a bright crimson.

Mozu dropped her bow and rushed down the hill. In her sprint, she almost tripped over some twigs in the underbrush, narrowly avoiding them with her small feet. 

"Milord, are you alright?" Mozu blurted out in a panicked flurry. Her mouth moved faster than her mind. "Who attacked you? Did they get away?"

"No one did, I," Xander coughed. "I fell, that's all."

"Oh," Examining the wound closely, it couldn't have been too much of a deep cut, but the torrent of blood that spilled all over said otherwise. Next to Xander, a jagged stone was dyed red, alongside what appeared to be the dark fabric from his pants. In a hurry, Mozu tore a small strip of cloth from her loose-fitting wear and tied it tightly around Xander's knee. It didn't take long for the off-white cloth to be completely stained with red.

"Thank you, Mozu," Xander was exasperated and could only speak in short breaths. Mozu was huffing herself but nodded and gave Xander a weak smile.

"Hold this down over the wound and keep pressing down," Mozu said. "We're pretty far from camp, but it'll do for now."

Mozu patted down a patch of grass and she made sure everything was flat without any twigs or rocks poking through. Xander did his best to scoot over. He traced lines in the dirt as he boots dragged along the ground.

"I'll be right back," Mozu said. "We still need the meat after all. Don't be moving, okay? Don't wanna hurt yourself anymore than you already have."

Xander nodded and, for once in her life, Mozu was giving the orders.

Mozu made sure Xander wasn't out of her sights. He was easy prey and she didn't need him getting more injured than he already was. What a thought that was, Prince Xander, a prodigious fighter and formidable ally, was a sitting duck. _Consider it payment for helping me up on the horse_. It was Mozu's turn to impress Xander.

More wriggling was heard in the underbrush, perhaps the same creature Mozu had heard before.

The creature poked it slender head through the bushes and revealed itself to Mozu. A brown rabbit, well hidden in among the dead leaves and rotten bark of the forest.

She reached for the quiver and pulled out an arrow. Mozu aimed hastily and fired before the rabbit could get away. The arrow didn't quite hit its mark, but it still made a clean blow through the rabbit's neck. Something akin to a distressed shriek came from the poor creature, twitching violently. The pool of blood underneath the rabbit grew bigger and, eventually, it stopped twitching altogether.

Mozu carried back a bundle of rabbits in her arms, wrapped in a burlap sack. After a while, she had gathered about five or six total. She found Xander again, exactly where she left him.

She let the sack fall to the ground and with a wipe of her forehead, she stood, towering over the still seated Xander. Her hands rested on her hips and she bore a smug and prideful grin.

"I think that'll do," Mozu said. She turned back to see Xander's mouth hanging open, just slightly. No words left his lips but she could tell by his wide-eyes that he was impressed.

"You're quite, quite the hunter, aren't you, Mozu?" Xander said, at a loss for words. "That was a spectacle to watch."

"You were watching?"

"Mmhmm," Mozu was back to her usual embarrassed and blushing self. Gods, she set out to impress him but now she'd just made things worse. His tone of voice sure didn't sound impressed, not to Mozu, more like scared or fearful. Gods, she wished the Dawn Dragon would just strike her dead already.

"Mozu," 

"Yeah?"

"Have you any experience riding, er, _steering_ a horse?" Xander whispered. Of course, how could she forget, the two of them still needed to get back to camp.

_No, not really. More of a raising animals than riding them kind of gal._ "'Course I do. We'll be back at camp in no time."

 

|||

 

It was just after sundown when the two of them returned and Xander's leg was looking better. Crimson blood stained the rim of where his pants had ripped, but the wound was no longer bleeding as profusely as it once had.

Mozu jumped off the horse first and then followed by Xander. Not only was Xander an incredibly tall man, he was also just as heavy and Mozu struggled as he used her for support.

Xander was still pained from his fall so Mozu took it upon herself to carry the items back to the mess hall. A few other soldiers around camp decided to help as well. Soon after, the royal retainers and other Nohrians were flooding around Xander and asking him about his injury, to which he gently pushed them aside and proceeded to the mess hall with Mozu, all while he was still limping. He had his hand wrapped around her waist and his fingers dug into the fabric of her shirt. When Mozu turned her head backward, Selena and Peri were in a giggle fit and Camilla was giving Mozu a sultry look. Now, even more so than before, Mozu's heart was buried deep in her stomach and her cheeks were flushed.

The mess hall was empty and the only noise was talking flooding through the thin, wooden walls. Back in the kitchen, Mozu placed the sack of meat and dug through the cupboards for other ingredients. A handful of potatoes, carrots and radishes would do the trick, with some nice spices for flavor. Tonight, the camp was in for a special treat, in the form of Mozu's hometown specialty stew.

Xander helped her sort everything on the kitchen counter top. He swayed from side to side a bit, but at least Xander could keep his balance now without leaning on Mozu for support. Another worry off her shoulders.

"My apologies Mozu but I fear I'll be useless when it comes to these things," Xander said, his face looking pinker than usual. "Hunting and cooking both, it seems."

"Oh why, that's not true, milord. 'Sides, I'm sure you're plenty good at other things," Mozu said while making quick work of washing a batch of vegetables. "Ma' used to always tell me, 'we all got talents, we just have to wait for them to show'."

"I suppose so."

"Tell me, milord. Tell me what you think you're good at."

"I've honestly never considered such a thing," Xander murmured. "Swordplay and equestrian, maybe, however, that's just something that I've simply been conditioned to do."

"Well, that's like me and hunting. And farming," Mozu smiled. "It's in the country blood, y'know?"

"I suppose," Xander said. "Well, you could say I've got some talent with the piano. It was something my mother was fond of. She told me I had quite the gift for it. Though, I haven't played in a-"

"Well, consider a piano concert in order, Lord Xander," Mozu chimed in. "If that's alright with you."

Xander shook his head in agreement and continued to wash a different batch of vegetables.

"I have to say, I'd never expect such, ferocity coming from you, especially when you're far more quiet around camp," Xander laughed. "It just shows we can't judge one another by how we look."

Xander's usually hard frown and furrowed brow pressed into a gentle smile. Mozu was caught off guard for a second but then laughed to herself. If she told him he should smile more often, he definitely would have been embarrassed, so Mozu thought it best to keep her musings to herself. Xander noticed Mozu's giggling and flashed her a look of both worry and confusion.

"No need for flattery, milord," Mozu said. "Hey, would you mind peeling and chopping these potatoes for me? I'll handle cutting the meat."

"Uh, no, n-no not at all," Xander stuttered. He picked up the knife, running his thumb gently over the blade. He held it a bit too close to the blade and as he peeled it would always flick up dangerously close to his fingers. A few second later, with some reckless cuts and eyes off the chopping block, tiny droplets of blood spilled over the counter top and a few curses under Xander's breath.

Prince Xander, heir to the incredible legacy of the Nohrian throne and the man who always has a sword in his hand like it was sewn to his skin, didn't know how to properly hold a kitchen knife.

"Here," Mozu edged close to Xander and moved his head further down the knife. "Hold it like this and move it like this when you're peeling so you don't cut yourself."

Xander's face was completely red at this point. "Again, my apologies, I've never had the chance to do these sort of things. Honestly, I'm just-" 

Before he could even finish, Mozu was already waving her hand in front of her face. "Don't sweat it, practice's what makes perfect, after all."

Mozu was skinning and thinning out the meat with a large butcher's knife. Ever now and again, she cocked her head back towards Xander – who was now holding the knife properly – and observed as he peeled and cut the potatoes. Mozu had barely noticed that her mouth was starting to hang open and she was worried that she would scare off Xander. There was something so _interesting_ and  _wondrous_ about watching Prince Xander, foreign royalty and a man who was supposed to be her sworn enemy, seem so vulnerable as he struggled to prepare a simple meal. At this moment in time, the two of them sat as equals and nothing more than that.

Xander finished peeling two potatoes and he sported a prideful smirk on his face. He was starting to work better with the knife, though Mozu would exactly call him talented with it.

"Y'know Lord Xander, cooking like this really takes me back to when I was in the village," Mozu said. "we all took our turns cooking and cleaning up. It was like having one big family."

Xander let out a quiet 'mmhmm' and smiled.

"Maybe the camp could be like our family, like the village," Mozu said. "Every time we do one of these things, it really does feel like some village potluck."

Xander turned away from Mozu and accidentally dropped the knife.

"An admirable thought, but is it really that easy when we all come from such different strides of life? Not long ago, I was your enemy," Xander said hesitantly, with eyes almost seeking Mozu's approval. Mozu didn't reply. "I-I hardly think I can call myself your 'family', Mozu."

"I think family is something you can find in anyone. Family is someone you can share with. Family is someone who likes it when you share with them. S-So, uh that's why, I think this whole camp could be family too. We're pretty different but as long as we can come together and eat a good meal, I'd say we can all be family."

By this point, Xander had completely let go of even trying to frown and let Mozu see his smile again. The valiant prince was caught in a moment of weakness and every time he opened his mouth to speak, he didn't talk with the same authoritative tone he usually did. Right now, Xander was stumbling over his words just as much as Princess Sakura would have.

"So, does that mean I'm allowed to be part of your family as well?" Xander turned his face to the side, a light blush appeared on his cheeks. Mozu was confused for a second, before taking it all in. _Lord Xander wants to be a part of your family. Lord Xander wants to be your family._ She let out a scream, only for a second, before covering her mouth. If her heart had already sunken into her stomach, it had well reached her feet by now.

"Did I say something wrong?" There he went again, giving Mozu something akin to puppy-dog-eyes. There he went again, letting his guard down around Mozu, all shield down and ready to get stabbed through the chest. Except he was the one stabbing Mozu through the chest. It was absolutely unfair how cute he was right now.

"N-No, not at all. I just think it's funny that the prince of Nohr's wanting me to be his family," _That's it,_ Mozu thought, _just laugh it off and he won't think anything of it._ "I don't really think I deserve it."

"Nonsense. You're quite the talented young woman, Mozu," Xander said. "Anyone would admire your fortitude. Especially someone like myself."

"Enough flattery, Lord Xander, you're making a poor girl blush," Mozu's heart was pounding fast, way faster than it had been before.

"It's flattery hard earned," Xander said.

Flattery hard earned, but what did Mozu do to earn his flattery? Nothing that she cold think up, she was just being herself. So what did _that_ mean, exactly? That Xander was flattering Mozu for being herself? That he liked her for being herself? Because, there was no way in all of heaven or hell, that Prince Xander, secretly stupid, bumbling and cute successor of the Nohrian crown, could find interest in country bumpkin Mozu of Hoshido. A curse from the Dawn Dragon perhaps; yes, by the gods, it must have been a curse. A curse that made Mozu fret over her stupid feelings for a stupid prince.

"I've finished with the potatoes," Xander's gentle voice interrupted Mozu's thoughts. He held up the cutting board with his eyes wide and sparkling with pride. The potatoes were cut unevenly and a few even had some skin left on them. "Is it alright?"

"It's perfect," Mozu hummed with a smile. "Now, let's get the stew going."

**Author's Note:**

> canonically, i thing xander's actually not too bad at cooking but i can assume that he's only good at cooking certain dishes. in my fic, none of those happen to include potatoes (or using knives, apparently). i always imagined xander more of a dessert guy.


End file.
